1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns advertising display devices. More particularly, the present invention concerns advertising display devices that, also, are useful for waste disposal.
2. Prior Art
The deployment of advertising media on waste collection devices is known. For example, it is commonly known to apply posters to the sides of waste collection bins.
Other devices provide for display of advertising cards. Such a waste collection apparatus employing advertising cards is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,511,982, issued Oct. 14, 1924 to Schilling and entitled xe2x80x9cRUBBISH CAN.xe2x80x9d Schilling teaches a container having a bottom hinged front panel disposed in front of a front wall. An advertising card is inserted and held between the front panel and the front wall. As useful as the Schilling apparatus is, Schilling presents problems to the user. In order to access the interior of the Schilling apparatus to remove waste and debris inserted therein, a separable hood with a flap must be entirely displaced from the apparatus. This removal of the hood is cumbersome and awkward at best.
Thus, an advertising display device that is deployed in conjunction with a device for collecting waste, the device being easily accessible for both the placement of waste thereinto and the removal of waste therefrom as well as the device enabling easy placement of advertising media, would provide an advance in the art.
The present invention provides an advertising display device comprising: A hollow container comprising a front panel and a rear panel. The front panel includes a top wall, a bottom wall, and a side wall, the top, bottom, and side walls being, preferably, integrally formed. The top wall may also be hingedly attached to the side wall. The top wall has at least two openings formed therethrough through which waste may be deposited into the hollow container. A flap, hingedly secured to the top wall, may cover each opening in the top wall. The front panel is movably secured to the rear panel to enable access to the interior for removal of waste therefrom. A frame, either attached to the front or back panel or freestanding in the hollow interior, enables the removable emplacement of disposable waste containers such as plastic bags or similar devices for collection of waste deposited through the openings in the top wall. Means for displaying advertising media is located on the side wall. In a first embodiment, the means for displaying advertising comprises a clear plastic strip that is attached to the side wall by glue or a similar method of attachment to form a pocket. In a second embodiment, the means for displaying advertising comprises a clear plastic strip that is attached to the side panel by a magnetic strip that goes around the border of the clear plastic strip to form a pocket.
In a third embodiment, the hollow interior is divided into multiple compartments by at least one divider slidably engaging grooves in the panels to enable separable depositing of different sorts of waste into the device to increase ease of recycling. Removable canisters may be emplaced in the hollow interior of the device, one beneath each of the openings in the top wall, to collect waste deposited into the container. These dividers and canisters replace the frame of the first embodiment. At least one of the canisters may be fireproof, thereby enabling cigarettes and other flammable materials to be deposited thereinto.
In a fourth embodiment, removable canisters are used without the dividers of the second embodiment.
The container, the apertures in the top wall, and the canisters may take many shapes, some of these shapes being hexagonal, circular, and square.
In all embodiments, the device further includes means for mounting the device to a post or similar stanchion associated with the rear panel.
The advertising display device of the present invention allows display of advertising media while enabling convenient access to the interior thereof for insertion and removal of waste therefrom.
The present invention will be more completely described in the following detailed description, which can be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements and in which: